Chapter forty seven

Interludes four

Rui Shi. Hakoda. Iroh. Zhao. Ozai.

Rui Shi

Rui Shi walked beside a cloaked figure. His thoughts were on keeping Song safe and building further upon the work she had begun, albeit that was not her intention at the start. He had not known the girl long, but she had grown special to him, and he… it wasn't important. He had to stay focused. He was walking into a trap.

"Stay close to me," Rui Shi whispered as the cloaked figure fell slightly behind.

"I don't like this," said a feminine voice. Rui Shi glanced over his shoulder, noting the air of discomfort that surrounded the woman, with the ill-fitting cloak leaving the folds of their dress exposed at the knee. "Are you sure the tip was good?"

"Everything will be oka-" He began, but was cut off when a squad of firebenders flooded down the alley in front of them. Rui Shi grabbed the hand of the cloaked woman, turning to run, only to find that the way behind them was blocked by more soldiers.

"Are you the girl known as the Lightbringer?" the lead firebender asked.

The cloaked woman said nothing. The soldiers stared at them before the lead man spoke again. "By order of Fire Lord Ozai, the woman known as Lightbringer is found guilty of treason and sedition, by royal decree she is sentenced to execution, carried out on sight."

Without another word, the leader, a sergeant, punched out a fist of fire, which was immediately countered by Rui Shi. The woman threw off her cloak to reveal, not Song, but rather Captain Jee. The Captain had joined them mere days ago, but Song had vouched for him. The ruse had actually been his idea, though he didn't realize it would involve him wearing a dress. Or makeup.

The two stood back to back, and battle commenced. The battle was over in minutes, with Jee and Rui Shi unharmed.

Rui Shi stalked towards the sergeant and picked him up by the collar. "So this is what the elite corps of Ozai's guard are capable of? I'd have thought better. Perhaps it was something you ate."

Jee rolled his eyes at Rui Shi. The man was putting on a show for effect, and Jee knew that he didn't care for the drama. He was a rather serious fellow.

"I need you to deliver a message for me. Tell Ozai that by now he should know that not a word in that palace can be written, whispered, or spoken aloud without me hearing it. We will not serve such a cruel and uncaring tyrant. Hail, Fire Lord Zuko."

Hakoda

Hakoda, Bato, and a number of warriors and waterbenders boarded a Fire Navy ship in Chameleon Bay. Three ships had sailed into the bay and raised white flags upon seeing the fleet of the united tribes. Hakoda was perplexed, as the ships bore a flag he had heard of, but not yet seen—a dragon on a red field, with one eye seared shut.

It had been only a couple of weeks since his spies had informed him of this Subtle Rebellion, but he was wary. Stealing three Fire Navy ships didn't seem very subtle.

As the last of Hakoda's team boarded the ship, a woman flanked by two sailors with the same dragon emblem on their uniforms approached them. As she drew near, she stopped and bowed.

"I am Lieutenant Tema, formerly of the Imperial Fire Navy. We seek sanctuary from the tyrant Ozai, and to find and serve Fire Lord Zuko."

Hakoda blinked, but before he could say anything a northerner stepped forward.

"May I introduce Hakoda, The Southern Fox and Chief reagent of the Southern Watertribe, Father of the emperor. He speaks with the full authority of Sokka, Master of the Moonlight Sword, Beloved of the Moon Spirit. The Living Soul of the Seas, and Emperor of the Water Tribes."

"Uh… Yeah." Hakoda said, rolling his eyes.

Iroh

The Dragon of the West, the most feared general in the Fire Nation since Fire Lord Sozin, woke up in the soft light of a spring morning. He stretched and yawned, blinking the sleep from his eyes. He moved to his dresser, where he had placed three pictures he painted himself. The first was of his late son, Lu Ten. The second was of his nephew Prince Zuko. The third was of his niece.

He gazed at her image longer than the other two, wondering what he could have done differently, what he might still be able to do to save her. He hoped that she would find her way, as Zuko had. He prayed that she would not fall to the same fate as his own son, and asked the spirits to guide her on her way.

Iroh got dressed, and ate quickly. Today was an important day, it was the opening of his own Tea Shop in the upper ring of Ba Sing Se.

The morning had gone swiftly, and the girl he had hired, Jin, was doing an excellent job. That was until she had gotten distracted by a tan young man in a wall guard uniform. The youth carried twin swords on his back and was accompanied by another soldier, with long hair and a mustache, a quiet boy with a bow, and a young… boy? in a martial arts gi, who looked rather annoyed with the swordsman's flirting. Iroh decided to bring the tea to that table himself.

"Hello," He said with a warm smile, a tea tray held before him as he bowed. "I am Mushi, I hope everything is to your liking."

"Yes, it is." The young man with the mustache took cups from the tray and introduced himself. "I'm Haru, that's Jet, Longshot, and Smellerbee."

"I see, what an unusual name for a young man," Iroh said conversationally.

"I'm a girl." Smellerbee said, angrily.

Zhao

"Admiral, or should I say Field Marshall Zhao? I must congratulate you on your promotion.

I am sending you this missive to maintain standard operating procedure as per the code of covert operations. I have infiltrated a group of Earth Kingdom fighters known as the Kyoshi Warriors and shall be inside the walls of Ba Sing Se in a matter of days, in pursuit of the traitor Iroh. As for Zuko, I fear it will be some time before I am able to locate and subdue him, as he has joined with the Avatar."

Field Marshall Zhao steepled his fingers as he read the decoded message sent by Princess Azula. So she was in Ba Sing Se, or would be in a few days…

Zhao took out a brush and ink, before writing two messages, one for Azula, and one for Long Feng. He finished them quickly and sent them at once, before calling out for a secretary.

"Zhu Li, send for Hahn at once."

Ozai

"That was all he said, Fire Lord." Sergeant Ping said.

Ozai looked at him, considering. Inside he was a sea of wrath, boiling as if in a hurricane, but he maintained a cool demeanor. He took a slow breath before dismissing the sergeant. Ozai gave himself a few moments before considering the problem. So there was at least one spy, if not more, in his palace. He tapped his fingers on the polished wood of his desk.

More than the issue of the spies, he had an idea. The people found him to be uncaring and cruel. Perhaps it was time to work on his public image.

"Zhu Li," He called, and in moments the secretary he shared with his cousin stepped into his office. She knelt before him and bowed her head.

"Bring me the requests for pardon, and the petitions for aid from out island villages" He commanded.

Zhu Li's mouth fell open in shock, before saying, "Yes, my lord."

Author's Note

Heyo, I know that was pretty quick. I just posted the last update this morning, but the Interludes are pretty short so it wasn't too much of a challenge to get this out. I hope to keep frequent updates, but I say that every time.

Charlamagne OR WHATEVER

02/18/2024